Archive for December, 2009

Environmentalists in Mexico and across the world celebrated on Nov. 19, after Canadian company New Gold announced that it was to suspend activities at the controversial San Xavier mine. The decision comes on the back of mounting criticism and legal threats over the company’s operations in the town of Cerro de San Pedro.

The controversy dates back to 1995, when New Gold’s Mexican subsidiary MSX arrived at the small town in central Mexico, ostensibly to carry out a project in search of minerals. After setting up shop in Cerro de San Pedro, the company began blasting the nearby mountain in search of silver and gold.

The plan entailed the use of 25 tons of explosives per day to extract 80,000 tons of raw material for processing. The project involved the creation of a crater, 0.6 miles wide and almost 1000 feet deep inside the mountain. The project also involved untold damage to the town, a heritage site and “protected area” due to its historical importance as it was settled in 1583 and is the first town of the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí. Read the rest of this entry »